Chapter 264: Golem, use Glare!
"Shared Ditto?"
Ash scratched his head. He really couldn't figure out why the Pokémon Day Care would be running a Shared Ditto service.
Jessie and James were already standing in front of the Gashapon Machine. They lifted Meowth and pressed the gold coin on its forehead against the coin slot.
That's right, the Gashapon Machine required payment. Team Rocket wasn't just going to let you use the organization's Pokémon for free; there were always maintenance costs to cover.
But Meowth's coin was a part of its body and could be used an infinite number of times.
Basically, they were getting it for free.
*Gurgle, gurgle...*
The Gashapon Machine whirred to life. After a moment of tumbling, two Poké Balls rolled out from the opening. Jessie and James each grabbed one.
"This challenge at the Viridian Gym is a two-Pokémon battle!"
With her impulsive personality, Jessie immediately took her place in the Trainer's command box and was the first to throw her Poké Ball.
A red light flashed, and a massive, spherical Pokémon appeared in the Battle Arena. Its body was covered in grayish-brown rocks, revealing a sturdy set of four limbs and a head. It had a stout, round, and rather goofy-looking appearance. When it landed, the ground actually trembled for a moment; it was clearly overweight.
A small note also fluttered out from the Poké Ball. Jessie snatched it out of the air. It contained a detailed description of this Pokémon.
Its name, type, ability, moves, usage tips, and so on, were all there to allow the person sharing it to get the hang of it right away.
"Ooh, so its name is Golem? It's a bit ugly, but it looks pretty strong."
Jessie casually tossed the note aside. Her battles relied on indomitable fighting spirit; what need was there for such flashy hints?
On the other side, Ash didn't dare to be careless. Judging by its physique alone, this big rock didn't look like an easy opponent. He cautiously took out his Pokédex to scan it.
*Pokedex Beep.* Golem, the Shell-less Turtle Pokémon. It is the final Evolved Form of Geodude. Its entire body is covered in rock particles, making it extremely durable, but it's actually pretty much useless.
The Pokédex prompted.
"Geodude's Evolved Form, huh..."
Ash was old friends with Geodude, as it was Brock's signature Pokémon. He never expected its final evolved form to look like this.
"In that case, I'll send this one out!"
After a moment of thought, Ash threw one of the Poké Balls from his waist.
A red light flashed, and a pink butterfly Pokémon appeared in mid-air. It had a pair of adorable, large pink eyes, and as its wings fluttered, glittering powder scattered about.
"A bug? Hahahaha, you're killing me."
Seeing this, Jessie was the first to burst out laughing. Her Golem was a Ground and Rock-type; no matter how you looked at it, this seemed like a free win.
"Mii mii..."
The Pink Butterfree that had just entered the field blinked its innocent, large eyes and looked questioningly at Ash. Not only was the big rock turtle in front of it a bit scary, but the claw-baring auntie behind it was even more terrifying.
"Butterfree, believe in yourself! You've got this!" Ash quickly encouraged it from behind.
Since his opponents this time were Jessie and James, there was no need to immediately bring out Pokémon with type effectiveness like Squirtle and Ivysaur. Those powerhouses had already been through plenty of battles and didn't need this one.
But this Pink Butterfree was different. Despite its unique Mutation and the considerable potential it might possess, it had never actually been in many real battles. It had been slacking off a lot.
It was time to pull it out for some training.
It was fine if it couldn't battle, either. He could just let it stay at home. After all, it was good-looking and could serve as a pretty face.
As for the type disadvantage, its Mutation had actually added the Fairy-type, which meant Butterfree's type disadvantage wasn't that significant.
"Mii mii..."
Sensing Ash's emotions, the Pink Butterfree's cute expression slowly turned serious, and it chirped back a few times in defiance.
Although it did look like a pretty face, even a pretty face has its pride!
"Mii mii!"
The Pink Butterfree's eyes narrowed as it raised a small fist in front of itself, looking ready to fight its hardest.
"Hahaha..."
"Gole-gole..."
Jessie and Golem were still laughing mockingly.
Hearing the unrestrained mockery, the Pink Butterfree grew angry. A beautiful pink energy instantly enveloped its body. The energy condensed to its peak before abruptly exploding outward, transforming into an incredibly brilliant white light that shot out in all directions.
Dazzling Gleam!
The light had no substance, yet at this moment, it was like countless sharp swords, instantly blinding the members of Team Rocket.
"Agh, my eyes!"
"Damn it! What happened!?"
"Am I blind, Meowth?!"
Caught completely off guard, the Team Rocket Trio and Golem were all hit.
Unlike the trio, however, Ash and Pikachu had already closed their eyes the moment they saw the move's wind-up and were unaffected.
Dazzling Gleam, also known as the Solar Flare, was a Fairy-type move. It unleashed Fairy Energy in a burst of blinding light to strike the opponent's eyes.
Of course, in other Regions, Dazzling Gleam was more of a direct AoE attack using Fairy Energy. One could say this Butterfree's usage was an abnormal variant, but it could be incredibly effective in certain situations.
Seeing Jessie and Golem desperately rubbing their eyes, Ash smiled and commanded:
"Now's your chance, Butterfree, use Moonblast!!"
"Mii mii!!"
The Pink Butterfree clenched its small fists. Pink Energy once again gathered on the surface of its body and quickly rose to an ultimate state. Only this time, it didn't explode directly. Instead, in a complete reversal of energy control, it was continuously compressed in front of its body, forming into a pink energy bomb whose power was still rising. Finally, it was hurled forward with great force.
Moonblast!
*BOOM!!*
Golem didn't even have time to dodge. Its spherical body took a direct hit from the Moonblast. The surging Fairy Energy erupted in an instant, and the resulting shockwave sent it flying several meters, leaving its body covered in wounds.
"Gole..."
But as the smoke and dust cleared, Golem was still standing.
Although Moonblast was considered a Fairy-type ultimate move, the attack hadn't knocked it out, which showed that the level of Team Rocket's shared Pokémon was actually quite high.
This interruption finally allowed Team Rocket to snap out of it. With a grim expression, Jessie immediately commanded:
"Golem, use Glare!"
Golem: "?"
Jessie frowned and commanded again:
"Tch, you can't even do that? Then, Golem, use Poison Fang!"
Golem: "?"
"Damn it, Team Rocket Headquarters actually gave me a Pokémon that doesn't know anything," Jessie complained with a dark expression.
Golem: "?"
It turned its head 360 degrees like a Rowlet and looked at Jessie with a completely baffled expression.
This question mark didn't mean it had a problem, but rather that this Jessie had a problem.
Even Ash on the opposite side showed a hint of joy. It seemed this Golem really was no good; it couldn't even follow its Trainer's commands. He was about to launch an attack.
But then Jessie suddenly waved her hand, turned around, and said casually:
"Forget it, forget it, I don't care anymore. Just fight on your own!"
"Gole!"
Upon hearing this, the look in this Golem's eyes suddenly changed, becoming incredibly resolute and fierce. Its momentum rose by several levels, and the powerful aura forced the Pink Butterfree to take a few steps back.
(end of chapter)